Despite Vols' struggles, USC knows history and is not overlooking UT

The Gamecocks have beaten the Vols just three times since joining the SEC in 1992. However, that same dominating Orange clad squad won't be showing up when it visits No. 17 USC (5-2, 3-2 SEC) on Saturday at 12:21 p.m. UT is 2-5 overall and 0-4 in league play this season and a 17-point underdog this week in Columbia.

It's been a difficult transition for first-year head coach Derek Dooley, who's had to start as many as 10 true freshmen. He dealt with player arrests over the summer and talked earlier this season about having to teach his team better grooming habits after a staph infection broke out in the locker room.

On the field, not much has gone right either. UT has scored the second-fewest points in the conference on offense while allowing the third most. The Vols' strong suit for decades has been the running game, but they currently rank last in the league at 121.3 yards per contest — a spot USC has held the past few seasons.

The Vols have been close in a lot of games in the first half only to crumble in the final 30 minutes — just like last week when they trailed Alabama 13-10 at halftime but gave up 28 unanswered points in the second half.

"The biggest thing we have to do is improve our stamina — physically, emotionally, intellectually," Dooley said at his weekly press conference Monday. "The deeper the game goes, continue to trust in your technique, keep competing and not let anything break down. That's not what we're doing right now. (We're) not playing as confident consistently as I'd like, although there were a lot of times in the game that we did."

"Tennessee has had somewhat of a struggling year but they've looked very good at times," Spurrier said. "Their personnel on defense…is as good as anybody we've played, really. Better than some teams."

Spurrier, who used to take shots at former Vol coach Phil Fulmer when the two were dueling at the top of the SEC East two decades ago, said USC's poor history against UT is still a factor — especially after his team's embarrassing 31-13 loss in Knoxville last year.

"Tennessee's a little bit in a down slump, as several teams are," he said. "But we can't worry about that. They may not be in a down slump when they come in here at 12:20 Saturday."

In a bit of role reversal from the past, it's USC looking to avoid a letdown as it sits atop the division with three SEC games to play.

"They're still Tennessee. They're still a great bunch of guys who play really hard, just haven't been very fortunate this season," USC and T.L. Hanna product Brian Maddox said. "They're very capable of beating us if we don't come ready to play on Saturday."